Hi. Yes, I’m still here—promise.
More of the older episodes will be fixed and re-released soon. I went way too hard the first week of repairing the website, and completely burnt myself out. Lesson learned. However, let’s discuss my primary inspiration, the Megamix.
“Three Tracks” might become a recurring feature, or it might not. I once toyed with a series called “Top Five”—not strictly music-related, but rather a rotating list of favorite things. But my tastes shift constantly. It felt too rigid for something so personal.
One thing that doesn’t change?
The origin stories behind “Top Five” and “Dance Music for Old People” both owe their names to Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity.” But truth be told, I’ve cooled on the film. It wasn’t nearly as female-forward as I once believed, and Hornby’s books give a little too much redemption to some not-so-great dudes. That said, I still read him. Complicated feelings, right?
The Megamix concept is baked into my process.
That urge to cram as much music into my earholes as possible? That’s what drove the second iteration of “The Theme Show.” I’m still chasing that energy now, building playlists that flow from track to track—especially if you’re using Spotify’s crossfade tool. Sure, it’s not a “true” Megamix with turntables or original edits, but the vibe is there. Still very much alive.
Three tracks in particular inspired this:
Track One: “Hit the Decks, Vol. 3 – Two Little Boys Megamix”
Initially released in 1992 across three CDs (later bundled into a boxed set), “Hit the Decks” was a high-energy showcase of live DJ battles featuring big names of the time, including Carl Cox, Unity, Mr. Time, Megabass, and, of course, Two Little Boys. As you’ll hear in at least one of the new “Dance Music for Old People” episodes dropping soon, I took inspiration from this one quite literally by adding in some video game flourishes.
Track Two: “More Beats & Pieces (Daddy Rips it Up Mix)” – Coldcut
A very long time ago, in second grade, my family moved to a new town, and I found myself starting over at a new school. I liked music, but I’d never had any formal education in it prior. I still couldn’t tell you much now about G clefs or half notes, but I’ll never forget the day our teacher played a record that used storytelling to introduce musical instruments. That record, of course, was “Peter and the Wolf,” composed by Sergei Prokofiev.
So, it’s probably not surprising that, nearly two decades later, a megamix that dropped a “Peter and the Wolf” sample caught my ear. That mix was by Coldcut—a group that remained a huge creative inspiration for me throughout the ’90s. I even gave them a shoutout on my acknowledgment page.
If you haven’t already, check out their track “Timber.” It’s built almost entirely from forest sounds and serves as a caution against overconsumption and environmental collapse.
Track Three: “Prodigy Presents: The Dirtchamber Sessions, Volume One” – Liam Howlett
Most people remember The Prodigy for their two enigmatic frontmen: Maxim and Keith Flint (RIP). With incendiary lyrics from songs such as Fire, Poison, Beathe, and the infamous Smack my Bitch Up, they’re hard to forget. But the real architect, in my humble opinion, is Liam Howlett—an obsessive mixmaster with razor-sharp instincts.
The Coldcut track I mentioned earlier samples a line from Flip Wilson’s comedy skit “Geraldine Visits David Frost,“ in which Geraldine belts out, “Honey, I’ve got rhythms I haven’t used yet.” That line first surfaced in Coldcut’s “Beats & Pieces” back in ’87 and quickly became a go-to sample through the ’90s, weaving its way into tracks from Shakatak, Vibert, and here, toward the end of The Dirtchamber Sessions, Volume One, section 7.
Liam originally stitched together the mix that would become “The Dirtchamber Sessions” for the BBC’s Breezeblock radio show hosted by Mary Anne Hobbs. The set was so popular that many recorded and redistributed it. To stop the piracy, Howlett rerecorded the set for official release from his new in-home studio, affectionately known as “The Dirtchamber.” The album splits the set into eight segments, but I believe this mix should be experienced as a whole—an hour-long, genre-hopping, sample-dense journey that defies description. I couldn’t possibly list all the tracks it touches without doing it a massive disservice. So do yourself a favor and hit play.
Photo by Marjan Blan on Unsplash